Steve Webb
LOS ANGELES, CA — The fact that it was inevitable doesn’t make it any less sad. Cody Bellinger, once the shining jewel of the LA Dodgers’ lineup, is a Dodger no more. At least for now. After three straight seasons of struggles and injuries, the 2019 MVP has been non-tendered by the club, meaning that he is officially a free agent, welcome to sign with any club at any price.
Sad as it may be, it just had to be done. Bellinger’s once promising career just hit a dead end after 2019 as the slugger struggled to recapture his stroke at the plate. Though his defense and baserunning continued to be outstanding, his offensive performance just didn’t justify his remaining with the team at nearly $20 million dollars a year.
The numbers don’t lie: he hit .239 in 2020, .165 in the injury-plagued 2021, and .210 last season. His OPS, which was well over 1.000 in his MVP year, also lagged well below league average: .788 in 2020, .542 in 2021, and .654 last year. We thought we had Willie Mays on our hands. Turns out he was Jackie Bradley, Jr.
Still, give Belli his due. Even amidst the scuffles at the plate, he managed to turn in some monster at-bats in the postseason. The epic home run in Game 7 of the NLCS in 2020. The gritty performance that helped the Dodgers beat the Giants in 2021. Not to mention, the Stadium-shaking three-run homer that sent the NLCS back to Atlanta. These are moments that Dodger fans can cling to even as we got increasingly frustrated with the star and his troubled swing.
Is there a future for Cody on the Dodgers? Maybe. But not at the price it would have taken to tender him an offer. If he wants to sign again with the team and give LA a home town discount, I’m sure he’d be welcomed back. Nobody captured this fan base like Belli in his MVP run in 2019. Part of the frustration that fans felt with him is that we knew that star player was in there somewhere. It just never came out.
Wherever he ends up, he’s still young. He’s got time to turn himself around and turn himself back into the player that we all know he can be. Whether or not it happens is another question altogether.
So long, Belli. You’ll always be a World Series champion in our eyes. Thanks for the memories.
